Road joint forming means or the like



March 8, 1938. F, '0, PARKER 2,110,738

ROAD JOINT FORMING MEANS on THE.LIKE

Filed June 5, 1936 nlllllllllll l 4 IA 4 L WX WW$ INVENTOR EeA/v/r 0. 24465656 ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROAD JOINT FORltflNG MEANS OR THE LIK Application June 5, 1936, Serial No. 83,670

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in what is known as the dowel type of supports for the joints between concrete slabs or the like and for transmitting the load from one slab to its adjoining slab. The invention is more particularly applicable in connection with the transverse joints of concrete roadways.

Some of the objects of the invention are as follows: i

To provide a male member of the dowel type which is adapted to be embedded and anchored in one of the slabs of'a concrete roadway to extend across the transverse joint therein, a reasonable length thereof terminating in the adjacent slab or section and there having a telescopic or sliding connection with a female member embedded in such adjacent section, the male member being so constructed as to have its greatest strength disposed at the transverse joint, where the shearing action or tendency is the greatest between the two members, whether or not the joint is a plain joint or one which is wide enough so as to receive the well known expansion filler of bituminous material or the like; to provide on the male member an abutment member such as a flange, for example, which is preferably so located as to contact with one of the surfaces of the expansion filler and to impart additional strength to the male member just where such added strength is needed, and such abut- I ment member or flange furthermore prevents the concrete from cracking and breaking and, also acts as a support during the work of installation and the pouring of the concrete; to provide means connecting the male and female members rigidly together at opposite sides of the expansion filler and to obtain perfect alignment between the two members, such connecting means being preferably of a temporary nature so as to be rendered useless'by the contraction and expansion of the concrete slabs after the concrete has set, for example, the temporary connecting means shown, described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 1,482, filed January 12, 1935; and to make the male member and female member of such metal as to reduce and tend to eliminate corrosion.

These being among the objectsof the present invention, the same consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and then claimed with reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a portion of a concrete roadway showing the joint support involved in elevation, and secured to an expansion filler, with parts of. the joint support embedded in the concrete;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the support shown in Fig. 1, parts in elevation, and showing a portion of an expansion filler;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 33, Fig. 2, in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4,

Fig. 2, in the direction of the arrows, that is, in a direction opposite to that of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 illustrates a slight modification of a male member.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is illustrated the subbase or sub-grade ill on which rest the concrete or other slabs or sections II, I2 having a transverse joint therebetween for receiving the expansion filler or expansion joint I3.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the present invention includes a male member, more or less of dowel type, and it comprises a male member proper l4. Preferably the male member proper i4 is cylindrical and is preferably made hollow or tubular so as to give it the necessary strength without the added expense of more metal, as would be the case if. the male member I4 was solid throughout, although it may be made solid if desired.

Member I4 is provided with an anchor portion,

stem or shank 15 of preferably less diameter, the same being aligned with the longitudinal axis of member M. An abutment member 16, which may be in the form of an annular flange or shoulder, is located on the inner end of the male member proper and at the adjacent end of the anchoring shank IS. The outer extremity of the anchoring shank I5 is provided with lateral projections I! for safer anchorage.

It will be readily understood that if and when the male member proper I4 is made of greater diameter than the anchoring .stem or shank i5,

and particularly if. a strengthening flange or the like I6 is provided, that such members are so arranged and constructed as to impart great resistance against the tendency to shear them in the immediate zone in which the expansion filler I3 is used, and where such tendency is the greatest.

A female member 18 is provided which is open at one end to receive and telescope with the male member proper i4, and such female member is preferably closed at its other end and is also preferably cylindrical. The interior of the female member is of slightly greater diameter than the male member proper I4 so as to provide for a telescopic and sliding connection between the two members and yet not allow very much clearance between the two members, although the clearance may be as desired and as the conditions warrant. Female member I8 may be provided if desired with resistance or anchoring projections I9 extending laterally therefrom at its closed end. The flange It or the like of the male member is provided with two or more holes 20 extending across its thickness, and when two holes are provided they are preferably 'at diametrically opposite sides of member I6.

Two or more laterally projecting lugs 2! are on the open end of the female member I8, while two or more lateral lugs 22 are located between the lugs 2| and the closed end of female member I8, and the bases of these lugs are preferably enlarged for the sake of strength. Preferably the lugs 2 I, 22 are in pairs, with the lugs of each pair 2| or 22, as the case may be, projecting radially from diametrically opposite sides of the female member I8, and the holes 20 in the member I6 will then be so arranged that when the male member proper I4 and the female member I8 are telescoped together properly, they will be aligned with the lugs.

Preferably each of the lugs 2|, 22 is hook shaped and in such case the recesses of the respective pairs of lugs 2|, 22 will be presented in opposite directions for obtaining easy assembly of the male and female members when bolts such as 24, 25 are passed through the holes 20 of the member I6. Then the heads 23 of the bolts will bear on the lugs 22and nuts 26 or similar fastenings for the bolts will bear on the abutmentmember I5.

Inasmuch as the concrete of a roadway expands and contracts at opposite sides of the transverse joints therein and as the present invention is more particularly intended for use in transmitting loads across such joints, the fastenings or connections, which are used for assembling the male and the female members and during the installation of the involved parts, are of such a nature that after the concrete has set and hardened and expansion or contraction occurs, the fastenings or connections will be rendered useless; that is, they are temporary connections not int-ended to resist expansion or contraction, and may be as shown, described and claimed in my aforesaid copending application.

Preferably,the female member I8 and its parts are made of one malleable iron casting, and such is preferably the case with respect to the male member and its parts. When these members are made of malleable iron, there will be less corrosion than that of any known joint supports, as the others are usually'all steel or other metal or pressed steel and some part thereof is liable to rust easily and lose its necessary strength. The dimensions of the parts may be as follows: The entire length of the dowel type of male memher seven inches, the length of the male member proper I4 three inches and the length of the anchoring shank or stem three and three-quarter inches, with the thickness of the flange I6 a quarter of an inch or more; the diameter of the male member proper one'and one-half inches, the diameter of the anchoring stem or shank three quarters of an inch and the diameter of the member I6 two and one-half inches; the length of the female member three and one-quarter inches and its diameter two inches. These dimansions serve the purpose very well, but of course may be varied within reasonable limits.

Toinstall the various parts it is preferred that that be done before the expansion filler I3 is placed along the line of the ultimate transverse joint to be formed between the slabs II, I2, so that a number of the joint supports can' be mounted upon the expansion filler in their desired ultimate positions, and if the filler I3 is flexible as the usual bituminous expansion fillers are, the same may be suitably stiifened by a stiffening member which is removed after the concrete has been set and hardened, all as disclosed in my aforesaid copending application. Therefore, each male dowel I4, I5 has its male member proper I4 entered through a preformed hole in the filler I3, the same being fully introduced when the member I6 is brought in hearing relation with the adjacent surface of the filler so that the longitudinal axis of the male dowel stands at right angles to the plane of the filler. The adjacent end portion of the male member proper I4 will then snugly fit into the hole of the filler. If two temporary connecting bolts 24, 25 are to be used, it is preferred that the holes 20 lie in a horizontal plane lengthwise of the filler, as disclosed by Figs. 1 and 2. The female member I8 is then introduced over the male member proper I4 until the end adjacent the filler I3 is brought up to the corresponding surface of the filler, the female member being so adjusted as to bring the recesses of the lugs 2|, 22 into the same horizontal plane as that of the holes 20 in the member I6 which abuts the opposite surface of the filler." The temporary bolts 24, 25 are then passed throughthe registering recesses of the lugs 2|, 22 and through the holes 20, the filler I3 having been preformed with holes to receive said bolts, although the bolts may be driven through the material of the filler if it is made of the usual material. The heads 23 of the bolts preferably engage the lugs 22, while the threaded ends of the bolts pass through the member I6 and project suiliciently so as to receive the nuts 26. The nuts are then tightened up so as to firmly and positively temporarily connect the male dowel I4, I5 and the female member I8. The longitudinal axis of the female member I8 will then coincide with the longitudinal axis of the male dowel I4, I5. Another unit of the so assembled parts is then mounted in the desired spacial relation along the filler I3 and it is preferred that the parts of each assembled unit be in reverse relation to the adjoining assembled units, so that the units along the length of the filler will alternate, that is, the anchoring shanks or stems I5 will alternately extend in opposite directions and similarly the female members I8 will alternately extend in opposite directions.

After assembly of the joint supports on the filler, one man can handle the same and place the inasmuch as the two members of each pair or set will be prevented by the bolts 24, 25 from twisting with respect to each other and from getting out of alignment with each other. The building of the concrete. roadway is then proceeded with in the usual manner so as to provide concrete slabs II l2 at each side of the joint between them,v

The pouring of the concrete to provide each slab will not shift the members of the joint supports from their assembled relation on the filler l3. When any two adjoining slabs have been made and the concrete has set and hardened, the joint supports will perform their required functions in spite of the presence of the connecting bolts 24, 25 inasmuch as when the concrete contracts, the temporary fastenings will be broken, as by the stripping of the nuts 26 from the threaded ends of the bolts, whose threads and the threads of the nuts may be slight enough and the hold weak enough to permit such functioning. Should the concrete expand, the pressure of say slab I2 against the heads of the bolts will force the threaded ends of the bolts through the nuts, as the held there is weak. In the case of either contraction or expansion of the concrete slabs, the improved joint supports will be telescoped by the movement of the parts in one or the other direction, and the load on one slab will at the same time be transmitted to the other slab, so that the adjoining ends of the slabs will not rise one above the other, due to the fact that neither of the members of the pair of joint supports can have any relative transverse movement due to the preferred snug yet sliding fit between the two members of the pair. The tendency to shearis minimized because of the increased resistance thereto by the preferred construction of male dowel, which is strongest just where the strength is desired.

The lugs 22 on the female member being then fully embedded in the concrete may aiford suflicient anchorage for the female member so that the lateral projections l9 thereof may be omitted or reduced in size. introduced between the sliding surfaces of the two members l4 and I8 so as to lubricate the parts.

In Fig. a slight modification of the male member proper is illustrated in which such member 21 is still hollow, but is cast with a reinforcing web 28 extending in a diametrical plane thereof, which is preferred to be vertically of the roadway when-such modified construction of male members are used.

Obviously the invention is susceptible of other modifications and adaptations than those re- If desired, graphite may be ferred to, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new is- 1. In a road joint support, the combination of a male member and a female member, both of dowel type, which slidably interfit and are adapted to be anchored in adjacent slabs of a roadway, the entering portion of the male member being integral with, in line with and of greater diameter than the anchorage portion of the male member to reduce the possibility of shearing the male member across the inner end of such entering portion, which end passes across the joint between the slabs.

2. A male member of a road joint support, adapted to cooperate with a female member and comprising an anchoring shank and. an elongated hollow portion at one end of the shank and integral therewith, the shank and hollow portion forming a dowel, and which hollow portion is adapted to pass through a joint filler and is of greater diameter than the shank to reduce the possibility of shearing the male member across the inner end of such portion.

3. A female member of a road joint support having a tubular portion for receiving and connecting with a male member of the support and having bolt receiving lugs at the outside of its tubular portion, and located at opposite sides thereof, there being a pair of such lugs at each side spaced apart along the tubular portion and the lugs of each pair being hook-shaped and having the recesses under the hooks opening in opposite directions, such lugs adapted for additional connection with such male member.

4. In a road joint support, the combination of an integral male member and a female member for anchorage in adjacent slabs respectively of a roadway, the male member being enlarged in cross section beyond its midlength to provide thereat greater shearing resistance when extended across a joint filler, and the male member having a peripheral shoulder, located at the inner end of such enlargement, adapted to abut the joint filler.

FRANK 0. PARKER. 

